Freedom's Way
by Fyrie
Summary: Captured and imprisoned, two felines are forced into a strange allegiance.
1. Arrival

"Indeed, he is a magnificent specimen." The human's voice nearby was the first thing he became aware of, his vision still dipping between haziness and the blackness he was trying to struggle out of. "Where did you find such a young, healthy one? The only ones I've heard of before have been aged and weak, or young and sickly."

"He was born in captivity." There was the Master's familiar rough voice. A cruel hand flipped him over onto his back, revealing the ring of leather and metal at his throat. "His mother was trapped up north and she birthed him, before conveniently dying a few weeks later."

"Ah." The first voice said quietly.

The creature on the floor between them cracked an eye open, trying to work out where he was and what his new situation was. Barely inches from his face, he could see one of the Master's thick-soled boots.

The amber eye scanned around the area of the room he could see. No more white walls, which was a blessing. No scientists preparing to strap him down on a table to prod and poke him with sharp tools. No stinging sterile sprays of antiseptic to wake him and leave him with crimson eyes all day.

There was also no Martha, which made him want to whimper. What would she say when she arrived at the lab and found he was no longer there?

It was duller than he was used to, another bonus in the absence of the gleaming white walls of the lab that had been his home for his whole life. Would she worry about him? Would they tell her where he was?

Smothering a groan, he tried to move his arms from behind his body, only to feel the familiar tightness of the leather cuffs. The Master had found that the thick bands of animal hide were the only thing that could bind him, locks of metal cuffs picked in a matter of seconds.

Rolling onto his side, he heard sharp gasps from above him, then the Master pinned him down with a savage hand. "You two!" The voice shouted urgently. "Get him into the cage before he wakes up!"

Two pairs of hands grabbed his upper arms, hoisting him unceremoniously off the thickly-slabbed floor, his hind limbs and tail trailing along as he was dragged across the dim room and tossed, head over heels, into a pile of prickly stuff.

Landing on his belly, he tumbled across the spiny substance, groaning as his head smacked off the stone beneath it with a hollow-sounding thump.

Behind him, he heard the ominously familiar clunk of a metal door being slid into place. A buzz and beep made his heart sink. They used keycards, like the Master. With keycards, there was no lock to pick, no escape.

Remaining slumped on his belly, his eyes closed lightly, he calmed his breathing, letting his nostrils flare to take in his surroundings without having to risk rising and being attacked by an unknown assailant.

Whatever he was lying on, it had a dry, sweet scent. Straw? Perhaps that's what it was. The strong scent of the fluids the humans splashed on their skin to stop then smelling bad made his nose prickle and his eyes water.

Then he registered something different in the air. The scent of something strange, yet uncannily familiar. The scent of a female. A single frightened, confused and angry female. A female that didn't smell human at all.

Managing to turn his head, his eyes slowly opened, taking in his surroundings. A wall was pressed against his right side, another directly opposite, maybe ten feet across the floor from him. The third wall was only marred by a small, barred window at the top, inches from the ceiling.

Outside of that window, he could only see darkness, which he assumed meant that it was night. He turned his attention elsewhere, on to the last wall.

It was, however, was made up entirely of a criss-cross of bars, the small door he assumed her had been thrown through – complete with small key-card panel – at the bottom right corner of the fence-like barrier.

So he was taken from a tank and put in a cage? That was progress.

And it wasn't too small a cage either. Around ten feet wide, by eight feet deep, an electric light gleamed on the roof just beyond the fence. The stone floor was covered in a deep, thick layer of dry, yellowish straw. 

Two humans stood just beyond the railings and he recognised the taller and grimmer of the two, the Master. He was wearing his blue overalls again, his tangled brown human-fur pulled back from his face.

The other, he didn't know. Whoever he was, he was wearing material that looked like it was expensive and his fur was brushed until it was smooth. He was staring at the captive with undisguised interest.

Struggling onto his knees, the figure in the cage rocked unsteadily back and forward, trying to hold himself upright. His blood was throbbing in his ears, whatever drugs they had used on him still lingering on in his bloodstream enough to make him feel dizzy.

Pressing his blood-shot amber eyes shut for a moment, he regained his balance and blew out a shaky breath. Swallowing, despite the dry, bitter feel on his tongue, he forced himself to look around, his body stiff from being forced to travel in a crate.

His eyes adjusting to first the muted, buttery light, then his surroundings, he was astonished to see something in the far left corner of the cell that he had never seen before in his life: a small trestle bed with a sackcloth mattress.

That was the second he realised that he was not alone in the cell.

Ears and whiskers rotating forwards, his mouth opened in astonishment, his eyes widening at the sight of the figure on the rough mattress.

It was a female of his own kind!

Or, at least, he assumed that was what she was. He had never actually seen what he looked like, but for the transparent reflections he had been able to make out in the glassy doors of his pen in the labs.

Leaf-green eyes stared back at him, wide with terror. Backed into the corner of the grim cell, on her knees, her clawed hands kneaded at the mattress beneath her, her conical ears laid back against her skull, her fur bristling. 

The end of her bushy tail was flicking from side to side over her shaking hands, a threatening warning to this intruder of her prison that she was liable to attack her if he dared come anywhere near her.

Staring at her in bemusement, one of the felid male's ears slipped to the side and he cocked his head, trying to work out what to make of her. In response, her lips peeled back from sharp white teeth in a snarl.

"Well...?" The rich-looking human demanded, looking accusingly at the Master. "You said he was a virile male. Why isn't he mating with her?"

The male in the cage raised a brow at that. So that was why he had been drugged, crammed into a claustrophobic wooden box and sneaked out of the illegal lab that had been his torturous home for nearly six years. They wanted to breed his kind to sell.

Well, he grinned tightly, not looking towards them, they could take that idea and shove it up under their non-existent tails. Even if he had wanted to, the little female in the corner wasn't about to let him anywhere near her without him losing some chunks of his anatomy.

Also, being shackled, drugged and left in a crate for days on end didn't exactly put him in the mood for lurve.

"He's never seen another one of his species." The Master hastily explained, clearly determined not to lose his profits. "He needs a little time to get used to knowing that there is such a thing."

"You are sure he will couple with her?"

"He's never had a female." The Master gave the other human what was meant to be a knowing smile. "Give him some time and when he's ready, he'll be on her back, before she even realises what's going on. You'll have your first litter within the year, I guarantee it."

The male in the cage started hacking violently and both humans stared at him. It was probably a hairball, they both assumed, not realising the male was trying to disguise a bout of cynical, bitter laughter.

"You're certain they won't kill each other if we leave them to it?"

The Master nodded with self-assurance. "He's lived a sheltered life. I doubt he knows what violence is." He stated, precipitating another violent coughing fit from the male felid kneeling just inside the cage.

"Very well," The rich-looking one said, scratching his chin. "Come with me and we'll sort out fees and prices." The two men withdrew from the main part of the room, the large wooden doors closing loudly behind them.

The pale light remained on, casting strange striping shadows across the floor and walls of the cage and its two silent occupants.

Turning his attention back to the female, he took the chance to study her. She was still hissing in his direction, but he ignored it in favour of examining her. She looked a little younger and smaller than him, her colouring strangely similar to his own.

More white than he was, she had stripes of the same ginger, gold and black fur, her face white and gingery-gold. While he had more black in his coat, he could see a distinct, tiger-like pattern in both of their markings.

He absently wondered if she could speak the human language. He could, after so many years of being imprisoned by them. They didn't know that, though. They assumed that he was just a dumb, stupid cat.

They never had wondered why pieces of their expensive and pain-inducing equipment inexplicably went missing or were carefully broken or disconnected from their power sources, when he was in a room near it and no one was looking.

A twinge of pain drew his attention back to his arms and he grimaced. There was one way he knew he make it more comfortable, but that involved a good deal of pain, but he didn't trust the female not to rip his throat out if he asked her to liberate him.

Closing his eyes tightly, he grimaced as he jerked his right shoulder out of the socket. Making a loose hoop with his arms, he folded his body to pull it through the loop, the pain sending fireworks of agony exploding behind his eyes.

His arms in front of him now, he swallowed hard, clicking the shoulder back into place, his teeth grinding together tightly as he tried to stem a cry of pain.

Looking up, he found the young female staring at him, her tail's wild flickering growing more frenzied. Her eyes were almost black with terror, her ears indistinguishable from her colourful shock of a mane.

She expected him to harm her.

Maybe he would have, if he hadn't been dizzy with pain. The after-effects of the drugs had often made him behave aggressively towards his captors before, but now, he was distracted by the throbbing pain in his relocated shoulder.

Giving her a weary smile, he dragged himself towards the right corner of the cell, opposite the small bed. The heap of straw there looked softer and far more inviting than the while tiles that floored his tank had, back in the lab.

His legs pulled up to his striped chest, he yawned widely, his teeth glinting. His aching arms lolling out in front of his body, he smacked his lips several times, his tail curling over his hip and thighs as he settled down to sleep.

Maybe she would kill him while he slept. Maybe he would wake to find his throat torn open. An exhausted grin crept onto his lips, when he realised that as long as he got some sleep, he just didn't care what she did.

***

"Drat!"

Metal clicked against metal. His eyes closed in disrupted sleep, the male's lip twitched. He could feel a hand holding his wrists and something prodding at the cuffs that were still locked in place around them.

"Maybe if this..." There was a clink and he felt warm breath ruffling the fur of his hand. 

Slitting his eyes open, he found it was the little female. She was kneeling right beside him, his bound hands resting in her lap, one hand holding his wrist, the other picking at the small catch on the cuffs. Her head was bowed low over his hands, intent on her task.

He winced as a wire pricked into his skin, but she didn't seem to notice, combining a twist of a shard of metal between her fingertips with an upward flick of a tiny metal disc that had been positioned under the rim of the lock.

A crack sounded, then the cuffs went slack. Placing her tools aside, the female carefully lifted the clasp and opened the leather cuffs fully, sliding them over his limp hands and placing them to the side as well.

Rubbing one wrist then the other, she winced at the sight of the raw skin where the rough hide had scraped his fur away in tufts.

"Dat was very clever."

Immediately, the bushed female was crouched on the other side of the cage, staring warily across at him. "I didn't know you were awake." She panted, staring at him, then down at the cuffs she had removed.

"Oi know." He gave her a half-smile, sitting up slowly. "Oi 'ave quite a skill when it comes to pretendin' to do anyfing or nufing." He flexed aching fingers, his knuckles cracking. "Oi'm grateful for dis, d'hough."

Slats of afternoon sunlight created bright squares of light on the wall beyond the cage, the moisture on the stones reflecting some of the sparkles back at them. With that light, he could look more closely at her face and body.

She was very thin, probably through lack of food, he noted with some anger. If she had had no fur on her face, the sunken hollows of her cheeks would have been clearly visible, her eyes huge in her gaunt features.

"You're not...going to hurt me?" Her voice stirred him out of his musings.

"Me? 'Urt ya?" He chuckled softly, painfully rubbing his aching hands together to return the feeling to them. "Nah, luv. If Oi 'urt ya, Oi'd end up goin' roight back at the lab and Oi really dun want that to 'appen."

The female relaxed, releasing a sigh. "They said you were going to do nasty and painful things to me. They were talking about it...one of them said he wouldn't mind trying it, to see if I screamed like a human..." She shuddered. "You won't do that?"

"Not h'unless you h'ask me to, luv." Stretching his body, he cracked his neck and rolled his shoulders. She stared at him dubiously. "Oi've 'eard dat it dun 'ave to be a bad fing, if ya do it wif the roight person." She backed away a little further. "Oh, dun worry, luv." His smile widened a fraction. "Oi ain't interested in 'avin' a mate now."

"O-oh."

He twitched his nose. "So, 'ow long you been 'ere?"

"I-I don't remember." Relaxing a little, she crawled towards him, staring at his face closely. A tentative hand rose to touch his cheeks curiously. "I can't remember anywhere different...I remember blue sky, once, but that's all."

"Blue sky? Bloimey...that sounds koinda darin'." He gave her a lop-sided grin. "All Oi evah remembah is white walls an' white roofs an' white people wif white clothes pokin' me and jaggin' me wif needles."

The female lowered her head. "They did stuff like that to me too." She whispered, her voice shaking, and the male couldn't help wondering if she had been degraded down a level further than he had. "Th-they wanted to see inside me, if I could have kittens." A shuddering sob escaped her. "I screamed and screamed, but they wouldn't stop...they said I couldn't feel anything, but I felt it all...I felt everything...it hurt so much..."

"Easy, luv, easy." Awkwardly putting his arms around her, the male felid gently drew her against his chest, stroking his fingers through her thick coat as she wept softly against the patterned fur of his chest. "They wun do nufing loike dat no more. Oi'll look after you."

"Really?" Her voice sounded small and kittenish.

"Oi promise, luv." He ruffled her mane, giving her a reassuring smile. "If dey even troi to take you anywhere, Oi'll rip d'ere knackers off and eat 'em."

"Nice thought." She said softly, stroking her hand down the stripes of his chest. He looked down at her small hand, lifting it between his own curiously. "What?" She asked, as he turned it over, looking at the pads of her palm and each of her fingertips.

"Oi ain't nevah seen someone else's before." He said, tracing a rough fingertip across the centre pad of her paw. Adding a little pressure, he watched five hooked claws slide out from beneath the nail bed, sharp and lethal-looking. "Bloimey. Dats quite a weaponry you got der."

"Don't you...?" She began to ask, but he lifted his right paw from its position over her palm and slid his own clipped claws out, the blunt stubs that were barely enough to even scratch out the tangles in his coat.

"Dey didden trust me." He chuckled bitterly. "Oi'm just lucky dey didden do the same fing to me teef. Oi wudden be able ter talk yer ear off, if dey'd done dat." He heard her laugh softly and hugged her a little closer. "Dat's the spirit, luv."

"Why do you call me that?"

"Eh?"

"Why do you call me 'luv'? What does it mean?"

The male twisted his face in thought. "You know," His face a study, one brow up, his tongue poking out of the corner of his mouth in confusion. "I dun actually know what it means, but it sounds nice, dun it?" She nodded. "So what is you called then? I dun know."

"They call me the Cat here, but I had a name...I think I remember it..." He looked down at her expectantly. "Rumpleteaser."

He chuckled. "Now, ain't dat a roight foine and dandy name for a lady, luv! Rumpleteasah...it suits ya, you know." A nervous smile crept onto her lips. He spread the arm that was not around her in a mock-bow. "Mungojerrie at yer service, Milady."

"Mungojerrie and Rumpleteaser." A soft giggle escaped her, drawing a smile from the male. "We sound like we would be doing something we shouldn't be doing." He gave her a look of mock-shock, amber eyes wide and round. "Not that!" She smacked at his nose. "Jerrie!"

He grinned at the choice of nickname. "Sorry, Teasah." He nuzzled the rough pad of her palm with a chuckle. "Oi coulden resist."

"You're a pig." She giggled again, a sweet, mischievous sound.

"Nah, luv, Oi'm just a great big kitten." Rolling onto his back, he gave her what was meant to be a cute look, but it turned out looking just plain naughty. "Do you wanna rub moi belly?"

Leaping at him, her hands outstretched, she released a squeal of surprise as he caught her and tumbled her over into the heap of straw. His fingers danced nimbly across her ribs, making her shriek with laughter.

"Stoppit!"

"Wot? Dis?" He tickled her mercilessly.

"Yes! That!"

"Do dat? Alroight!"

"Jerrie! Stoppit!" She cried out breathlessly between giggles, grabbing both of his tufted ears in her fists and pulling his head down to hers. He met her green eyes, his already broad grin growing that little bit wider. 

A loud clunk from outside the door made them both start from each other with fright, halting the game as they broke apart. 

Rumpleteaser shot across the room like a tiger-patterned rocket, diving under the patched blankets on the small bed. Mungojerrie snatched the cuffs from the floor, cowering back into his corner, his hands concealed behind his back.

The door opened to reveal the expensively dressed human again, followed by one of the guards, carrying a large, metal pail and a deep basin. Both felids stiffened at the scent of some kind of foodstuff wafting from the containers. 

While it didn't smell particularly good, there was no way it was going to be completely bad either.

Another guard entered, a long-barrelled gun held loosely in his hands. Making sure both cat-humans could see it, he loaded a couple of tranquiliser darts into it, clicking it back into position and approaching the cage to keep the felids back.

The guard with the pail approached the gate and withdrew a keycard from his pocket, sliding through the monitor. The door beeped acceptance and buzzed open. Mungojerrie would have dived forward, but the gun was aimed at him, the human's eye determinedly on him.

Pushing the pail of food and large basin through the opening, into the cell. Some water slopped over the rim of the bowl. It looked clean and didn't smell too stale.

Withdrawing his hands quickly, the guard slammed the sliding door back into place, the keycard buzzing and beeping. Stepping back, he nodded to the armed man, who lowered the tranquiliser gun and exited.

The richly-attired man lingered for several moments, watching the felines watching him. A smile crept onto his lips, then he turned and walked out of the room, closing the heavy wooden doors behind him.

"Cripes." The male dropped the cuffs, scrambling forward towards the bucket and bowl. "Oi didden expect this!" he peered into the pail, eyes widening in delight. "Luv, d'you want ta come an' 'ave a look at dis?"

Warily peering out from beneath the blanket, Rumpleteaser crawled out and towards him. "What is it?" She asked hesitantly.

Hauling a chunk of dripping, steaming meat out of the bucket, he tossed it to her, grinning, when she plucked it deftly out of the air. "Enjoy, luv! They seem ta want us to have nuff energy for doin' da matin' fing."

Coming a little closer to him, she ripped strips of juicy meat from the chunk in her hand with her teeth, the grease splashing down her chin. "They never gave me anything like this before." She said around the mouthful. 

"Dun forget to chew it." Mungojerrie chuckled, as she wolfed down the whole slice of meat, her mouth stained with the juices. Reaching for another, she smiled shyly at him, their hands brushing against one another's. "Enjoyin' it?"

"Lovin' it." She replied, accepting the bowl of water from him and drinking a deep draught.

There was silence for a long while, as they ate their way through the small heap of food that seemed like a banquet to both of them. Handing the last piece of flesh to the young female, Mungojerrie smacked his lips. 

"After dat," he decided, rubbing his belly. "Dere's only one fing we can do."

A frightened look crossed Rumpleteaser's face and she pulled back from him suspiciously. "Oh?"

He grinned engagingly at her. "Well, luv, Oi dun know about you, but Oi'm stuffed and Oi want to 'ave a birrova kip." Standing up, he stretched arms and legs, yawning widely. "Moind if I nick the bed for a bit?"

"Th-that's fine." Timidly ducking her head, she tried to smile.

"If ya want to join me, Oi dun mind." He added, wandering over to the small trestle that was stretched along the back wall of their cell. Settling on it, he tested the surface, before lying down on his side. "Ow about it, luv? Fancy 'avin' a noice stroipey piller?"

"Piller?" She raised her head from the bowl of water.

"Yeah. You know dem fings yer meant to put yer 'ead on?"

Grinning faintly, the young female sluiced some of the lingering grease from the fur of her chin, then lowered the basin. "You don't mind sharing?"

"Luv, it's a bed. Oi ain't nevah had one before." He patted the mattress and gave her a warm smile as she crossed the floor, picking up one of the blankets as she approached. "Make yerself comfy and jus' kick me if Oi take up too much room."

Hesitantly sitting down on the edge of the mattress, she lay down alongside him, laying her head on his outstretched right arm, his back pressed against the chilly stone of the wall.

The late afternoon chill permeated the cell and a whistle of wind shrilled through the barred window making her shiver and she pressed back against the striped male's body, his own form curving around hers comfortably. 

Pulling the blanket over their bodies, she felt his left arm wrap warmly around her waist, his face burrowing snugly into the curve of her shoulder and her neck. Then, to her surprise, she felt a purr rattle through her chest.

Stroking her fingers down his furry forearm, she wound her fingers between his, turning her head to nuzzle at his cheek. "Jerrie," He grunted an acknowledgement. "Is it normal for me to make this kind of sound?" 

"Oi dunno, luv." He murmured, lifting his face and butting his nose lightly against hers. "But Oi'm not about ta complain." He gave a grin and quick peck on the lips, before letting his face sink down to the warm hollow of her neck again.

It was then that she felt his thrumming purr echoing her own.

With a small smile, she snuggled comfortably against his chest, pulling the rough, patched and frayed blankets around them both. His muscular tail curved over his hip and possessively around Rumpleteaser's thigh.

"Night Jerrie." She murmured.

She felt a playful little nip at her throat and smiled again. "Noight, Teasah." He replied softly, both of them falling asleep quickly as night set in.


	2. Friendship

"What now?"

"Hmm?" His face buried in a pillow, Mungojerrie shifted slightly so he could see Rumpleteaser out of one eye. She was sitting on the edge of their shared mattress, looking around the cell that was their home.

"Listen, Jerrie." She whispered urgently, her hand spread on his back.

The tiger male shifted, cocking his head. He immediately heard what she was talking about, a deep, thunderous rumbling. Scrambling to his feet, he stood on the bed and motioned for her to climb onto his shoulders.

Standing upright on his fuzzy shoulders, her balance perfect, her trust in him unwavering, Rumpleteaser managed to peer out of the high, barred window, a wrinkle of confusion crossing her face.

A gasp escaped her and the young female dropped back down to the cold, stone floor of the cell, motioning for her companion to stay where he was as she scooted into one of the corners, away from him. 

Seconds later, the door of the main room that contained their cage opened, allowing their owner to enter.

As usual, he was impeccably clad in a suit, his fur smooth over his bald face. Approaching the cage, he peered in at them. Ignoring the human, Mungojerrie slumped listlessly on the bed, looking thoroughly unhealthy, while Rumpleteaser cowered in the corner, wailing.

"How long do you think it should take?"

"The outer cage should take several days, two weeks at most, to construct." Another human had joined their owner by the cage. The two felines exchanged unnoticed looks, as Mungojerrie flopped over onto his belly, his hands trailing limply on the floor. "They don't look so good, sir."

Their owner gave the new human a dark look. "Which is why I'm having a cage built for them to exercise in, you imbecile." He replied disgruntledly. "How are we going to build the tunnel from here to the cage with them in there?" 

"You could sedate them, Sir. Have them put in the outdoor cage, while we work in here."

"I suppose..." Their owner came close to the bars, as Mungojerrie rolled off the bed and drooped onto the stone, barely inches from the metal grid. 

Brilliant green eyes stared dumbly up at the expensively suited human. Mungojerrie lazily cocked his striped leg up several inches and a jet of yellowish liquid sprayed through the bars of the cage.

The human uttered a loud curse, his suit drenched in urine. "You filthy little..."

Fortunately, the sounds of the machines outside drowned out his words, as the tiger tom rolled over and settled on his belly on the straw-covered floor, watching over his shoulder as the human stormed out of the room, followed by the less important one. The door crashed emphatically shut. 

It was immediately echoed by hysterical giggles from the corner, where Rumpleteaser was hiding. Looking around at her with a small smile, Mungojerrie could see she had the knuckles of one paw shoved in her mouth and was shaking with laughter.

"Wot you laughin' at, Teasah?"

"You peed on him!" She squealed, clapping her hands together. "He was so mad!"

"Well, now, Oi only dun it cos Oi woz gettin' sick of 'im starin' at me." The tiger tom chuckled with a lop-sided grin. Rolling onto his knees, he got to his feet and stretched his body, his arms extended over his head. "Wot did ya see when you peeked outta the winder?"

"Winder?"

"Yeah – the fing ya were lookin' outta."

"The window?"

"Dats wot Oi said." Mungojerrie flashed a grin at her, returning to their low bed and motioning for her to join him. Sprawled on his side, he grinned as she sat next to his right hip and started untangling the knots in the fur of his belly. "You gonna tell me?"

"I'm not sure what it was, but there are lots of machines out there." She replied, frowning at a particularly tangled knot. "The boss...he was talking about a cage for us, so maybe that's what they're doing..."

"Must be a ruddy big cage, eh?" The tom sighed contentedly as the little female bent over him and started cleaning his fur with her rough tongue, her fingers disentangling the longer fur before she cleaned it. 

"Looks like it." She replied, kneeling up to lean over his face. "It looked like they were putting up ledges and things as well." Mungojerrie nodded, trying not to grin at the sight she had presented to him. 

With her hands braced on either side of his head, as she licked at his ears, her chest was bobbing closely into his line of sight and, while he had insisted there would be no mating, he had never said he wouldn't look when he got the chance.

"Do you think they're seriously going to let us outside?"

"Hmm?" The jiggling motion of the two small, pert mounds of Rumpleteaser's chest was proving a bit of a distraction for the young tom, who would – in human terms – be in his mid to late teens.

"Jerrie?" She sat back to look down at him. "Are you listening to me?"

"Course, luv!" He gave her a winning grin. "And Oi agree wit' ya."

She raised a brow. "About what?"

"Uh...everyfing!"

"Even when I suggested that you should dance the hula with the boss?"

"Uh..."

"See! You weren't listening to a word I was saying!" She swatted at his freshly washed ears with a grin. "I can tell, ya know." Mungojerrie pouted up at her and she relented, bending to nuzzle his nose with her own. "I was asking," She repeated. "Do you think they're really going to let us go outside?"

"If dey ain't, Oi fink dey're goin' to an 'eck of a lot of trouble to build a ruddy great cage." He replied, lifting her paw from his chest and starting to clean it as she continued to disentangle the knots in his fur. "Dey must really want us ta get it on."

Rumpleteaser's paw was pulled from his abruptly and he recognised the frightened look in her still-thin features. "Jerrie..."

"Dun worry, luv." He reclaimed her slender paw and smiled reassuringly up at her. "Oi ain't goin' ta jump on ye, just cos they gived us some fresh air." He cocked his head. "If Oi dun dat, 'oo would Oi 'ave to wash me, eh?"

But what if they get angry with us for not doing anything, Jerrie?" She whispered, letting him gather her against his chest. "What if they try and make us...you know..."

Mungojerrie sighed heavily. "Luv, if dey even troi dat, it ain't goin' to work. Oi told ya dat Oi won't touch ya loike dat, unless you wants me to." His hand brushed over her mane. "Oi moight be 'orny, but Oi ain't gonna 'urt me only friend and dey ain't gonna do it de scientifric way cos dey wants to see wot we does, all natural loike."

"What if they find another one like you, though?"

"Anuvver one loike me?" He looked appalled at the thought. "Teasah, dat ain't nevah gonna happen, luv! Oi'm unique, Oi am!" He reached up and brought her face down to his, his nose brushing against hers. "Do ya even fink der is annuver one of me?"

"It is kind of scary to think about, isn't it?" She gave him a watery grin, then added a long lick right up the broad bridge of his nose, leaving the short fur standing on end. He wiggled his nose at her and she giggled, moving onto his bushy eyebrows.

Chuckling as her rough pink tongue ruffled and smoothed the fur of his brows, he nuzzled the thick fur of her shoulder. "Dat tickles, luv." He remarked lazily, yawning widely revealing all his teeth. "Feels noice, d'ough."

"So that tickles?" She gave him a naughty look. "What about this?"

Mungojerrie released an ear-splitting yowl of astonishment and laughter as she sat herself squarely on his legs, pinning him down, and started tickling his ribs, his body thrashing as her fingers danced over him.

"Teasah! Teasah, dat ain't noice!" Squirming and tossing under her, he tried to buck her off onto the floor between hysterical giggles.

"Well, Oi ain't noice!" She laughed just as loudly, her eyes dancing with mischief.

Finally, the larger male managed to toss her off his body and she landed on her toes on the stone floor, just managing to leap aside as he lunged for her, aiming his fingers for her ribs, panting with laughter.

Shrieking, Rumpleteaser used his forward momentum to catch her hands on his shoulders and leapfrog straight over his head and high onto the grid of the cage wall, her paws gripping the bars.

Mungojerrie – caught off-balance by her weight on his shoulders – almost went to his knees, but his paws spread on the floor and he went into a handspring that left him standing on his feet at the other side of the cage.

"Bloimey!" Spinning around, the tiger tom looked up at her, where she was dangling from the cage wall. "Teasah, 'ow in the 'eck did we do dat?"

"No idea..." She was grinning as broadly as he was, her eyes shining with delight, and threw herself back from the rails, flipping in a perfect back flip onto her feet. "Cripes! I could be an acrobat!"

Experimentally, Mungojerrie tried to do another flip like the one he had just done. With a little adjusting of his balance, he landed deftly on his toes. "You know," He remarked with a lop-sided grin. "Oi think Oi could get to loikin' dis."

"It would be a lot better," She carefully pulled one striped leg up to the level of her head, completely straight. "If we had more space to see how much we could do." She watched Mungojerrie try a one-handed backflip and land on his tail. "Like that."

Mungojerrie got to his feet, rubbing his bruised derriere and grumbling as the little female giggled. "Its not funny, Teasah! I coulda 'urt meself or somefing!"

In response, Rumpleteaser cheerfully bounced over to him and threw her arms around him, planting wet, noisy kisses all over his face. "Then, I would have had to kiss you better, wouldn't I, Jerrie?"

"Geroff!" Swatting at her, he gave her a firm shove and yelped in surprise when her feet ran up his body and she did a swift backflip onto her feet, landing squarely in front of him, grinning at him impishly. "Bloimey...Teasah, dat woz amazin'!"

With a coquettish, bobbing curtsey, she grinned coyly at him. "Wait til you see what else I can do, Jerrie." He gawped at her. "Uh, Jerrie?"

Before she could dodge, he had dived forward and tackled her to the floor, grinning. "You got distracted, luv. Oi get to 'ave me revenge on ye now an' you'll know not to be ticklin' me h'anymore, won'tcha?"

"Jerrie!" She shrieked as he started tickling her. 

"Wot?"

"Stoppit!"

His grin was infectious and her cheeks were aching with laughter. "Wot? Dis?" His fingers raked over her ribs. "Nah! Oi dun fink Oi will."

They froze, though, when there was a click from the outer side of the huge door. His ears pinning back, Mungojerrie's lips peeled back from his teeth, his blunted claws out, his small companion motionless beneath him.

Their owner stepped into the room and stopped short, staring in astonishment.

Only then did either of the felids realise the position they were in: it looked like Mungojerrie was in the process of savaging Rumpleteaser, a wild, dangerous gleam in his eyes, his hooked fingers digging into her chest.

With a hiss, Mungojerrie dived across into his dark corner, while Rumpleteaser let out a loud and pitiful whine, so exaggerated that the male wondered why the humans couldn't work it out, dragging herself across to her own area and dropping into the straw face-first.

"Lewis!"

"Sir?" Another figure appeared at the door.

"That cage better be finished soon. They need to use up excess energy, before they start killing each other." He glanced over his shoulder as another human entered the room, carrying the now-familiar pail of slops. "Barclay?"

"Sir?"

"Do you have any idea about the mating rituals of this species?" Their owner rounded on the scientist. "Is it natural for the male to savage the female before or after they have coupled with each other?"

The scientist glanced hopelessly at the two felids, then nodded. "If they're anything like normal cats, sir, the male has to dominate the female, so it is possible that there may be some fighting."

"Which means we may have interrupted their mating?" Snatching the bucket of slops, the owner pushed it through the cage and stormed towards the door. "Out! Now! Leave them to get on with it."

The door slammed behind the trio of men and the two felines looked at each other.

"You know wot dis means?"

Rumpleteaser nodded with a broad grin. "Any time they come into the cell, you sit on me and growl and I scream like a Princess." She bounced across the cell floor. "It'll get rid of them really quick!"

"Ow well you knows my 'ead, Teasah!" Joining her at the bucket, he reached in a fished out a slice of steak, offering it to her. "Will moi lady 'ave dinner?"

"Only if my gentleman has it as well." She smiled shyly, accepting the piece of meat from him. "Thank you, Jerrie."

"For wot?"

Leaning over the bucket, she gently touched a kiss to his cheek. "For looking after me."

Blushing furiously with his ears, the tom ducked his head, an idiotic grin plastered on his face. "Not a problem, Teasah."


	3. Nightmares

"Ow! Jerrie!"

"Sorry, luv," Mungojerrie apologised, blinking hard. His vision was swimming and he couldn't manage to focus on the female in front of him, his stumpy claws combing through the fur of her back.

It was barely half an hour since they had eaten the daily bucket of meat and he was feeling oddly drowsy, sitting on the edge of the mattress that stood along the back wall of the cage that they shared.

Only two days before, the racket outside their room had finally stopped and the little female's furtive peeks through the window, high in the wall, standing on the young tom's shoulders, had informed them that the trucks and building people had finally left them in peace.

Outside the window, there was apparently a massive enclosure, which had trees and what looked like a massive climbing frame in the middle of it, in all, everything that the two felids had ever imagined playing on.

Unfortunately, they were still trapped indoors, while all the good stuff was outside.

As they did daily, after eating and playing, they took turns grooming each other's coats, removing knots and tangles. It was soothing and it stopped them from going crazy with nothing to do.

Rumpleteaser was lazing on her belly on the floor in front of him, as he untangled the thick fur on her back, brushing straw and dirt out of it. Her eyes were half-closed, her tail tip flicking from side to side over her calves, and she yawned.

"Bloimey, Oi'm sleepy..."

"You too?" Turning to look at him, her head still resting on her crossed arms, her eyes were half-closed. "Do... they said something sedating us... do you think they might have... something... in the food?"

"Drugged it? Oi..." Rubbing his knuckles against his forehead, he yawned, revealing sharp white teeth and smacking his lips. "Dunno 'bout you, Teasah, but Oi'm pretty sure d'ey'd do that."

"And you peed on him, so he might have done it for fun."

Mungojerrie's nose wrinkled. "Don' tell me 'e wosn't askin' for it," he grumbled, trying to negotiate the blunt tip of a claw under a knit, to loosen it. "Standin' there, all shiny and propah... s'enough ter make yer puke, is that!"

"Or pee," Rumpleteaser suggested with a giggle.

"Dat an' all," the tom beamed at her, then hit the floor with a solid thump, landing squarely on his tail. "Bloimey! Where'd the bleedin' bed run off to?"

"You must have fallen..."

Sniffing indignantly, Mungojerrie levered himself back onto the edge of the bed and dropped his rear on it. Somehow, he managed to miss and landed on the floor in a heap again, looking very offended when Rumpleteaser started giggling.

"Now, Teasah! Dat just ain't funny, dat ain't!"

The queen stuffed her fingers in her mouth, choking on a giggle fit, eyes streaming with tears of mirth, as he picked up his bruised tail and rubbed it as if offended, a pout on his lips. 

"I-I'm sorry," she hiccupped, one paw still at her mouth.

"Yeah, roight," Mungojerrie stuck his tongue out, still petting his bushy tail. "Oi dun fink so. Moi tail is all 'urt and you're sittin' there, gigglin'! Oi'll 'ave you know Oi moight 'ave done some permanent damage!"

"Good thing you didn't fall on your head then," Rumpleteaser grinned at him, showing all her teeth. "We'd be in real trouble then."

"Oi!"

Ducking a feeble swat, the little queen beamed at him. "Y'missed!"

"Yeah.." Mungojerrie looked at his paw, blinking in confusion. "Oi... Oi did..."

"Jerrie...?"

The tiger-striped tom raised unfocused amber eyes to her. Blinking again, he raised a paw to his head and rubbed his temple, his expression turning to one of confusion a second before he toppled over.

"Jerrie!"

Scrambling to his side, Rumpleteaser tried to stave off her own dizziness, turning him onto his back and pressing her ear against his chest. His heart was pounding, but slower than usual.

Giving him a shake, she patted his face. "Jerrie, wake up..." she moaned. "Please... I don't like being on my own... please... don't die... don't die..."

Swaying where she knelt, her hands on his shoulders started to feel numb. She tried to shake him again, but it felt like such and effort, blackness seeping into her vision and she tried to find the energy to lift herself, to move, to cry out.

It was like having a thick, dark blanket thrown over her, the air tightening in her chest, her lungs tightening. She sank forward, the warmth of Mungojerrie's chest pressing against her face, as her consciousness was snatched away from her.

By the time she came around, it seemed like hours had passed, sunlight oozing in through the high window at the top of the wall, the beam of light slashing across her eyes and making her flinch.

Struggling to sit, she raised a heavy arm to shield her eyes, blinking.

Daylight.

Brilliantly bright daylight.

"Jerrie," she croaked, nudging the tom, who was sprawled on his back beside her.

That was when she remembered the incidents that had lead up to her finding herself draped over the tiger tom's body: dizziness, mention of drugged food, Mungojerrie falling and then darkness...

Her head was throbbing and she still felt dizzy and sick. Whatever they had eaten in the food, it hadn't been something good and she had to blink several times to stop the world from spinning around her.

She had eaten less than he had, so it did look like it had been the food, especially since he was still obviously unconscious.

Or at least closer to unconsciousness than being awake and aware.

Quiet whimpers were escaping him and he was shaking, his face contorted in a combination of pain and fear. His lips peeled back from his teeth, his paw trembling wildly by his sides.

Edging closer, Rumpleteaser hesitantly touched his arm. "J-Jerrie?"

His arm savagely jerked free from her paw and he curled in on himself. His knees were pulled up to his chest, his arms wrapping over his head, as a low, painful whine escaped his throat.

Touching his shoulder, her paw trembling, Rumpleteaser shook him. "Jerrie, wake up," she whispered tearfully. "Please... wake up..."

The whining sound he was making rose in pitch and Rumpleteaser screamed aloud, when he jerked around, his blunt-clawed paws lashing out and striking her in the face and chest, sending her crashing against the bars of the pen.

Crying out in pain, she connected with the parallel rods of metal, blood seeping from her nose and lips, which had burst when he had struck her across the face, bruises blossoming on her back.

Shaking, she pushed herself upright using the bars, the pads of her paws slipping on the metal and she stared wildly at the tom, who was cringing back against the wall on the opposite side of the cage.

"J-Jerrie?"

His arms folded over his head, he was rocking back and forward, whimpering softly, his tail thrashing wildly from side to side.

"Not 'ere... not 'ere... dey can' be...not 'ere... not again... not again..." His frantic whispers reached her ears and she cocked her head, confused, one ear sinking to one side, worry etched on her face. 

"Jerrie?"

"Dey can't be 'ere... dey can't be... not again..."

Wiping her bloody lip and nose on the back of her paw, her back aching, she started to crawl towards him, wondering if it was safe to go anywhere near him, when he was in this kind of mood.

"Jerrie, can you hear me?"

The tom was whimpering again, his body shivering. She could see that his blunt claws were pressed so hard against the flesh of his upper arms that they were biting through the coarse fur and actually drawing blood.

Less than an arm's length from him, she hesitantly stretched out an arm and touched his toes, yanking her arm back quickly enough to avoid a reflex kick.

"Jerrie," she called out, a little louder. "Jerrie, listen... it's Teaser. Can you hear me, Jerrie?" His whines softened slightly and she continued to repeat his name over and over again. "Come on, Jerrie... come on... come back to me, Jerrie... tell me what's wrong... tell me what happened..."

Slowly, excruciatingly slowly, Mungojerrie started to lower his arms, his shaking black-furred paws hiding his face for several minutes.

"Don't be afraid, Jerrie... it's just me... it's just Teaser... no one else..."

Amber eyes, the pupils enormous, squinted between black fingers and Mungojerrie uttered a frenzied sob, his hands falling away from his face, as he launched himself into her arms, clinging to her and shuddering with sobs.

Hugging him tightly, Rumpleteaser felt his wiry arms lock securely around her waist, his face buried in the curve of her throat and shoulder, his tears soaking her fur as he clung to her. 

"Oi-Oi-Oi had a dream..." he whispered, as his cries started to tail off. "It... Oi fought they 'ad taken me back... taken me back to the labs... Oi... Oi fought dey'd taken me away... away from you... an' were gonna 'urt me again..."

"You're safe, Jerrie, you're safe," Nuzzling his shoulder, neck and mane, she rocked him in her arms, his heart racing wildly against her side, so rapidly she was convinced it would burst out of his chest. "I'm here... you're safe..."

"Oi... Oi don't wanna leave ya, Teasah..." he whispered desperately. "Oi don't wanna be on my own again... Oi can't be on my own again... Oi... Oi coulden go back to fing like that... Oi coulden..."

"I won't let them hurt you, Jerrie, I promise," Rumpleteaser replied, her voice low, combing her fingers through his mane. "You and me... we'll be together forever... I won't let anyone take you away..."

Mungojerrie nodded against her shoulder and slowly lifted his face to hers, the weak smile that was on his lips fading the moment he saw her face. His ears flattened out, a horrified look on his face.

"Jerrie? What is it?"

A shaking hand pointed at her and he pulled back. "Oi... Oi 'urt ya..." he gasped, horror and panic etched on his features. "Oi... Oi 'urt ya and Oi didden even realise... bloody 'ell... Oi... Oi shoulden be near ya..."

Rumpleteaser raised a hand to her face, touching the tender spots. Blood was still trickling from her nose, her cracked lip scabbing over already. "It's all right, Jerrie," she said, trying to smile without it hurting. "I'm okay."

"But yer... yer bleedin'! I made yer bleed!" Staring at his black paws as if they had betrayed him, his shaking began again, tears filling his eyes. Scrambling backwards, he pressed into the corner of the room. "You shoulden come near me, Teasah... Oi moight 'urt ya again..."

"You were having a nightmare, Jerrie," Rumpleteaser said softly, approaching him.

"But Oi moight 'ave anover one!"

"Not if you sleep beside me, Jerrie..." she said, her hands raised in a calming, placating gesture. "You can't have a nightmare about being on your own, if I'm right there beside you..."

Shaking his head wildly, Mungojerrie wrapped his arms over his head again, a soft whimpering escaping him. "Oi dun wanna 'urt you..." he whispered shakily. "Oi dun wanna 'urt you, Teasah..."

Coming alongside him, Rumpleteaser gently grasped his wrists and pulled his paws down from his head, releasing his arms and lifting his face between her paws, a small smile on her lips.

"You didn't hurt me this time, did you?" she said, stroking his cheek.

"But wot if Oi..."

"Sh," Her fingertips pressed lightly against his lips and she shook her head. "You aren't going to hurt me, Jerrie, and if you do, I'll know that it was an accident."

"Yer... ye're gonna stay..." His voice was so timid and plaintive, that she couldn't help leaning in and gathering him up in her arms. Burying her face in his mane, she purred comfortingly, hugging him tightly.

"I am, Jerrie," she whispered, thrusting her fingers into his wiry mane and holding him tightly to her. "You're not getting rid of me. You're never getting rid of me, I promise. Even when you want rid of me..."

"S'nevah gonna 'appen, Teasah..."

Kneeling up, she bit him sharply on the edge of his ear, making him yell in surprised indignation. "Even if I do that?" she asked, giving him a light grin.

Mungojerrie wrinkled his nose, his eyes still glassy with tears, but a tiny suggestion of a smile touched the corner of his lips. "Oi dunno, luv," he replied, as she snuggled against his chest. "Oi could get used to dat."

"How about this?" She nipped his neck. Mungojerrie closed his eyes, drawing a slow breath to try and smother the tingle of pleasure that shot through him from that tiny bit of contact.

"Could like dat an' all," he managed to reply.

Green eyes met amber and she gave him a coy smile. "And this?" she asked softly, before pressing her lips to his.

When she pulled back, Mungojerrie's face cracked into a broad, delight grin. "Oi fink Oi moight be able ter cope wif dat an' all, y'know," he said, then sniffed proudly. "Oi'm a tough bloke, Oi am!"

"Is that so?"

"Yeah!"

"In that case..." A wicked grin crept onto Rumpleteaser's face and Mungojerrie - sensing danger - immediately tried to squirm free and flee from her, but nowhere near fast enough. "Take this like a tom!"

Girly screams rang out as the tom was slide-tackled, rolled across the floor onto his back, then was pinned and tickled mercilessly by Rumpleteaser, who laughed with madcap glee as Mungojerrie wailed futilely for mercy.


End file.
